N. Hamilton rolls past Princeton
PRINCETON » Jeff Whitsley is using the 2017 Mercer County American Legion League season to prove he is ready to pitch with Nottingham High’s varsity club next spring.
The rising senior right-hander spent this spring on junior varsity where he went 5-2 for the Northstars.
Thursday night, Whitsley got to start for manager Matt Maher’s North Hamilton Legion team and went as long as he could to steer the Hibos to a 15-5 win over Princeton Post 218 at Princeton Day School.
“I felt pretty good,” said Whitsley, who threw 117 pitches to defeat Post 218 in seven innings just before his pitch count expired. “My first inning was a little shaky, so, at that point, I was a little worried. But once I realized the offense was behind me, I didn’t worry any more.”
It took North Hamilton (6-7) three innings to hit its stride versus Princeton and starting pitcher Zachary Yoelson-Angeline.
After an RBI single by Yoelson-Angeline and his battery mate Owen Seals in the first inning gave the home team a 2-0 edge in the first inning, the visitors got one run back in the second inning, then struck for seven in the third.
Bryce Fremgen’s two-run single put the Hibos in the lead to go with an RBI fielder’s choice by Ryan Sparks, an RBI ground out by Jack Milazzo, an RBI double by David Iorio and an RBI single by Phil Rojek as the visitors sent 11 men to the plate in the third inning.
“They were hitting the ball, but so were we,” said Princeton’s Chris Sumners, who had two hits, two runs scored and a run batted in.
Post 218 (2-12) hit with North NORTH HAMILTON
abr hbi Scott cf 52 22 BHoffman c 2 0 00 Conover ph 1 0 01 Sparks rf 43 21 Fremgn 1b 51 23 Milazzo dh 4 1 0 2 Baker 3b 4110 DIorio 2b 4222 Rojek ss 3121 Rocco cr-ss 0 2 0 0 Fuentes lf 3211 Totals 35 15 12 13 Totals
North Hamilton (6-7) Princeton (2-12)
PRINCETON
abrhbi Dudeck cf 3 0 1 0 Girouard lf 4 2 0 0 Duffy 2b 4120 Smnrs 1bp 3 2 2 1 YlnAgnp1b 3 0 3 2 Kaul cr 0000 Seals c 4011 Nyce ss 4000 Kaufmn rf 3 0 0 1 IFranzni 3b 2 0 1 0
017 210 4 — 15 2020010—5
E — Rojek, Duffy, Nyce 2; LOB — North Hamilton 5, Princeton 8; 2B — DIorio, Scott 2, Sparks, Yoelson-Angeline; SB — Milazzo 2, Fuentes, Scott, Girouard, Sumners 2; CS — DIorio, Seals, IFranzoni.
IP H
NORTH HAMILTON HIBOS
Whitsley W,1-0 7.0 10
PRINCETON POST 218
Ylsn-Anglne L,1-2 4.0 6 10 4 4 4 Sumners 3.0 6 5 2 1 1 HbP- by Sumners (Rocco); WP — Whitsley, Yoelson-Angeline, Sumners 4.
Hamilton, only losing that battle, 12-10, but could not come through in as timely a manner as frequently as their counterparts.
An RBI single by Sumners and an RBI double by Yoelson-Angeline (3-for-3, two RBIs) kept the home team as close as 8-4 after three innings, but the Hibos continued to pull away as the game went on. Sumners replaced Yoelson-Angeline after four innings and kept the game from reaching 10-run rule status until the final inning.
“We have a lot of the same guys throwing, so guys like me try to help out by throwing,” said Sumners, who is headed to Stone Hill College to play football.
While Fremgen had two hits and three RBIs to pace North Hamilton, Whitsley got plenty of other support from players like David Scott and Iorio, each of whom had two hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Sparks and Rojek added two hits with an RBI.
Whitsley walked four and struck out three, but probably his most important contribution on the road to varsity time was gutting it out and going all the way to help the Hibos save some pitching arms.
R ER BB SO 5
30 5 10 5 4 4 3